Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
To what has God called you? Most Christians think of God’s calling in terms of the work God has for us to do, whether in our professional lives, our families, or our participation in the church’s mission. We may also associate God’s calling with an invitation to know God and God’s love for us. But Ephesians adds something more, something unexpected. It says we are called to hope. In Ephesians 1, Paul prays that those who read his letter will receive from God “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better” (v. 17). Then Paul asks that, in addition to knowing God better, we might also know “hope to which He has called” us, “the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people,” and “His incomparably great power” (vv. 18-19). There you have it. Hope comes at the top of the list of things for which Paul prays. What does it mean to know the hope to which we have been called? The phrase rendered by the NIV as “the hope to which He has called you” reads more literally, “the hope of His calling.” Although Paul can elsewhere refer to “your calling” (Ephesians 4:4), here he emphasizes that the calling comes from God. We have a calling because God calls us. Though God first called us in the past, the content of that calling points to a glorious future. Right now, we belong to God because we have been called into a relationship with God. In the future, we will participate in the fullness of salvation, in the unifying of all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). Thus, when we consider God’s calling, we respond with hope. Notice that our hope is not something we conjure up in ourselves through positive thinking or by trying to have a good attitude. Rather, it is our response to knowing God and all that God has given to us in Christ and will give us through Christ in the future. Therefore, in this passage, Paul does not exhort us to be hopeful. Rather, he prays that God will enable us to know the hope that is already ours in Christ. Genuine hope is a gift of God and a response to God’s gracious calling. Hope of this sort depends, not on some emotional high, but rather on the bedrock of God’s calling to us. Moreover, it depends on the reality of the resurrection of Christ. Why does Easter matter? Because the resurrection gives us hope and reassures us that our hope will not disappoint us. Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
Today is the last day of the year. As we get ready to say goodbye to 2023, Psalm 90 speaks to our hearts. The context of Psalm 90 is not a pleasant one. It was written in a time when the people of God were “consumed by [God’s] anger” and “terrified” by God’s indignation (v. 7) because of their “iniquities” and “secret sins” (v. 8). Nevertheless, underneath the bad news of God’s righteous judgment lies a bedrock of confidence in God’s everlasting goodness. Rejoicing and prosperity will come again (vv. 14, 17). Psalm 90 reframes the way we think about time and its passing. The psalm begins with good news: “Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” (v. 1). Moreover, God exists outside of time, “before the mountains were born” (v. 2). Indeed, the psalm writer exults, “from everlasting to everlasting You are God” (v. 2). Because God is timeless, God views the expanse of time differently than we see it: “A thousand years in Your sight are like a watch in the night” (v. 4). Framed by God’s eternal existence, our time on earth is short: “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (v. 10). The shortness of our life could be discouraging. But it can lead to wisdom: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). The phrase “number our days” means “know that we have a limited number of days on earth.” Knowledge of the shortness of our life can help us become wise, according to this psalm. How? What about our few days helps us to become wise? To begin, when we count our days, we are reminded of our smallness compared with God’s unlimited greatness. This recognition leads us, on the one hand, to want to use well the time given to us. On the other hand, it also reminds us of our utter dependence on God. Thus, the final verse reads, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” When God’s favor rests on us, when God prospers us, then and only then will our work be truly fruitful. What a fascinating – and relevant – conclusion to this psalm! The psalmist’s reflections on God’s timelessness, the relative shortness of our lives, and our dependence on God’s grace lead to a prayer that God “prosper” our work. In this prayer, we hear an echo of the creation story in Genesis 1, in which God worked to create us in God’s own image so that we might work in this world as God’s agents and co-laborers. Though our time on earth is limited, our work still matters. It matters to God. And it matters to this world. What we do as workers will prosper as God’s grace is active in our lives. Thus, as the year changes from 2023 to 2024, and as we remember the shortness of our lives, we do not despair. Rather, when we count our days, we renew our trust in our timeless God and we ask for God’s favor so that we might make a difference through our work in the brief time allotted to us. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
We don’t know much about the Magi, who are traditionally called the Wise Men. They came from the “east” to Judea, because they had seen an unusual star and interpreted it as a sign of the birth of a new Jewish king. They were looking for “the One who has been born king of the Jews” At first the Magi came to Jerusalem to see if King Herod could direct them to the newborn king. Herod wasn’t much help. Guided by the star, the Magi traveled to Bethlehem, where they found Jesus. As they approached Him, “they bowed down and worshiped Him,” and then offered their famous treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After they were done visiting Jesus, they were “warned in a dream” not to go back to Herod, so they went home “by another route.” As I reflect on this familiar story, I’m impressed by the boldness of the Magi. They were risk-taking people, to be sure. For one thing, they believed that the star pointed to the birth of a king, so they endured considerable inconvenience in order to worship Him. Then, when they came before the child Jesus, they boldly bowed and offered their gifts. Finally, because of what they perceived through a dream, they chose to disobey King Herod, something they surely realized endangered their lives. These Magi were bold men. Hebrews 4:16 invites us to be like the Magi. It’s a little hard to see this in the NIV, which reads, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.” “Confidence” is not the obvious or best translation of the Greek word parresia. Parresia is usually rendered as “boldness,” as in the NRSV: “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness.” The KJV reads, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Because Jesus, the Son of God, is our great High Priest, because He understands what it’s like to be fully human, since He was born into this world, we are invited to come before God, not with fear nor with hesitation, not even with quiet reverence, but with boldness. Because Jesus was one of us, something we celebrate at Christmas, we have astounding freedom to come before God, to tell God everything we need to say, and to know that we will “receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). So, as you reflect on the Magi in the Christmas story, as you are impressed by their boldness, not just admire them. Imitate them. Approach God’s throne boldly. Know that, because of Jesus Christ, God is ready to shower you with mercy and grace in your time of need. He has raised up a horn [mighty Savior] of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. (Luke 1:69)
In Luke 1:5-25, Zechariah receives a visit from Gabriel, the angel, who informs the priest that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, will bear a child. When Zechariah doubts the angel’s good news, his power of speech is taken away until his child is born. After the birth of his son in the final section of Luke 1, Zechariah’s ability to speak is restored. The first thing he does with his voice after months of silence is to praise God (read Luke 1:64-79). A portion of his celebration is found in Luke 1:68-79, a passage that we often call the “Benedictus” (the first word of verse 68 in Latin, meaning “blessed”). In this hymn of praise to God, Zechariah proclaims that God “has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the house of His servant David” (v. 69). Through this Savior, the people of Israel would be saved “from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” For Zechariah, these enemies and haters were the armies and leaders of the Roman empire. Notice what follows. Zechariah says that when God rescues us from our enemies, it will “enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness.” (vv. 74-75). God’s people are saved so that they might respond by serving God. How does this service happen? To be sure, in Zechariah’s day, it included the offerings presented in the temple and the other actions of the priests. But the Old Testament concept of serving God also embraces our daily work. The Hebrew word for “service” (avodah) can mean “work” or “worship.” Those whom God saves will serve God, not just in their religious activities, but also in every part of life. Those who have been saved by God’s grace, through Christ, have the same experience and calling. We have been saved to serve the Lord in a variety of ways, including our daily work. In Ephesians 2:8-10, for example, we learn that we have been saved by grace through faith and that when we are saved we are also recreated in Christ for good works. When we do our ordinary work “in holiness and righteousness” (v. 74), we live out our salvation by serving God and contributing to God’s work in the world. As we do our daily work today – whether paid, unpaid, or both – let us be intentional about offering our work to God in response to God’s grace in our lives. Heavenly Father, as we receive Your gift of salvation, may we receive it with joy and gratitude And may we offer ourselves as Your servants in every part of our life. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” (Matthew 2:13)
If You Will Wait Advent requires waiting, but that waiting shows the providence of God. When we wait, most of us have had thoughts that are not the ideal conclusions we hope for. The owner, waiting on the results of a partnership, could conclude it will not work. The student, waiting on entry exam results, replays every question, second-guessing her answers. The offender, waiting to know if he is forgiven, anticipates revenge. While we wait, we must have spiritual roots. Whether the whole world recognizes the doom when God's chosen are looking for Messiah, the story does not seem to line up with the anticipated results. The Messiah does not come with pomp and circumstance. He does not come immediately annihilating the dark spiritual world or pummeling the Roman oppressor of the Jews. He was not born in a spectacular or renowned city. Everything about the kingdom and the King's arrival is muted and inconspicuous. A young woman and man trying to make sense of conversations with angels, a virgin birth, and after a ninety-mile walk, there was no place to lay their head. How do you get redemption from this kind of start? Advent requires waiting, and in that pause, we learn of God's providence and of His power also. While we wait, we often create stories of doom for ourselves or others. However, God has repeatedly demonstrated that, if we would just wait, God's power is perfect because we are weak. In this feeding trough lays the Son of God, forcing us to repent and change our minds about how any story must unfold. Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes for us what could be for our Advent, if we would just wait: "...And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong and that what we take to be evil and dark is, in reality, good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all. God is in the manger, wealth in poverty, light in darkness, succor in abandonment. No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love and rules the world and our lives." We cannot avoid trouble and ought not be surprised when we or others experience it as though something strange is happening to us. We do not author stories of doom for others or ourselves when the Savior of the world's Incarnation began in a feeding trough. Gospel believers don't wallow in the vanity of misery; they know the story ends in power. In that acknowledgment, there is peace even in the waiting. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The Church is supposed to be a signpost of hope to the world around us. As we enter the season of Advent, I want to end the year by reflecting on perhaps the most hopeful text in Scripture, John 3:16. And I want to focus on three words to see how they might speak to us and our current situation. First, the word “world” as in, “God so loved the world.” There are two significant things about it. One, “world” is the Greek word from which we get our word “cosmos.” This reminds us that the world God loves is more than just human beings. God cares for and delights in all His creation (Psalm 104:31). And so should we. Indeed, God created human beings to be stewards of the world God loves. Creation care is not just for environmentally conscious Christians, but it is God’s mandate for all of us who follow Jesus. Two, even when we understand “world” as being about human beings, it is a comprehensive word. The writer David Brooks has noted that our highly individualistic culture has led to an increasingly exclusive tribalism. Our world becomes defined, ever more narrowly, only by those who are part of our tribe. John 3:16 reminds us that God loves and cares about all the people on this planet and is at work creating an inclusive new human community: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes.” (Revelation 7:9a). Second, the word, “gave” as in, “He gave His only Son.” In our generation, there’s considerable suspicion and cynicism about God. Even in Christian circles, we get the feeling that many are not entirely convinced about God’s goodness. This is not surprising. Human beings have always been tempted to doubt God’s generosity and goodness. That is at the root of the serpent’s argument in Genesis 3: “God is holding out on you; God really doesn’t want what’s best for you.” John 3:16 reminds us, as does the Advent season, that God gave the ultimate, most costly gift imaginable for our good. Abraham’s greatest test of faithfulness was his willingness to offer up his beloved son, Isaac. The story of Jesus reveals that God the Father demonstrates His own faithfulness by not only offering up but actually sacrificing “His only Son” for all our sake. No wonder the Apostle Paul writes, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31b-32). Finally, the word, “life” as in, “so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The temptation in the Genesis Garden reminds us that the fundamental question of human existence is whether we choose to trust in God’s goodness or not. If not, we choose a lie. If not, we choose an illusion. Since God alone is the source of all good, we cannot turn from God and expect to find something better. If we turn from the source of life, we are left with death. If we turn from the source of light, we find only darkness. If we turn from the source of love, we will know only fear. The most awesome aspect of human existence is that we have been given the freedom to make that choice. If we do trust in God’s goodness, supremely demonstrated in Jesus Christ, life as it was intended inevitably follows. As Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). In that, Jesus echoes and fulfills what Moses said much earlier, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). As Jesus’ followers, how can we be signposts of that life and hope in our generation? Thanksgiving Reflection (2 Corinthians 9:15) Many families have a common Thanksgiving tradition, maybe you have done this as well: you go around the table and each person shares one thing they’re thankful for. Like you, families are thankful for spouses and kids, for new jobs and for health; we’re thankful for new babies celebrating their first Thanksgiving, and we’re thankful for another year with an aging family member; we’re thankful for a country with freedoms, and we’re thankful for a church that feels like family.
I think it’s a good tradition. Yet, there’s always one person who can’t take anything seriously (including this) and, yes, there’s always another person who takes everything way too seriously. Regardless of how you feel about this tradition, there is something powerful about group gratitude. Not only do we learn a little bit more about the people we’re related to by blood and marriage, but it also has the power to shift the dynamic in the room. Everyone stops. Everyone listens. Everyone shares in the thankfulness of the other. The Apostle Paul wrote this: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). We have a lot to be thankful for this year, and it is good and right for us to thank God for spouses, kids, jobs, and health. But when Paul says, “We thank God for his indescribable gift!” he’s talking about something specific. Actually, Someone specific. He isn’t thanking God for things (though he could, as he did in other places in the New Testament); rather he is thanking God for Jesus. To say it another way, Paul is thanking God for God. The greatest gift God has ever given the world was His Son, Jesus Christ – who was (and is) God in the flesh. This is what Christmas is really about: the idea that God became a man (this is what theologians call “the incarnation”). As C.S. Lewis put it in Mere Christianity, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” And although Paul knew nothing of our American holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, I think it’s right for us to talk about Christmas at Thanksgiving. Not because we are trying to rush past this holiday and get on to the next; but because our gratitude on this holiday is informed by the next one. This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to thank God for all the people and things you can think of. Be specific in your gratitude; articulate and enumerate all of the blessings in your life, because “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17a). I also encourage you this Thanksgiving to thank God for God. Don’t just thank Him for what He’s given you; thank Him for who He is. The purpose of all these earthly blessings is not that we become infatuated with the gifts as ends in themselves, but rather to draw our eyes up to the Giver. He was the One who gave His Son so that you and I could be rescued from sin and restored to a reconciled relationship with Him. God did all of this to reach us. We have so much to be thankful for. A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours! Matthew 5:1-12
Sometimes theological statements in the Gospels look a little different in the three “synoptic” Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus’s teaching about the Kingdom is given through parables, prophecies and sayings which are different to help us better understand. “Synoptic,” by the way, comes from the Greek word “synopsis” (which we still use to mean “a plot summary”). It means “seeing something all together,” and we use it for these three Gospels which share many stories and have a similar organization. The blessings in Matthew 5 isn’t the only Gospel where they appear. The address of Jesus in Luke 6:17 and following is often called the “Sermon on the Plain” because Jesus is speaking to the crowd, especially His disciples, from a “level place.” Like many good preachers, Jesus seems to have reused His stories sometimes. Luke 6:20-26 resembles the beginning of the more famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12), with the notable addition of all those “woes,” of course. The Beatitudes (as this set of blessings has come to be known from their Latin translation) are, as people used to say, “downers.” They are not for those moments in life when we already feel “#blessed,” as the hashtag on Instagram has it. #blessed on Instagram is for the days when everything goes well, we get a new car or a promotion, or go on vacation in Rome. The Beatitudes are for those who are hungry, sad, persecuted, defamed, and poor. And they come with a deep promise that Christ will be faithful to us in those moments and that we stand in the same heritage as the prophets and martyrs. Instead, it is to those who are #blessed in the Instagram sense that Jesus’s prophesied woes come. If we are comfortable, happy, rich, and thought well of, maybe we should instead be using the hashtag #cursed. I need to say that this passage of Scripture has been abused to tell people that they can never enjoy anything about their life and they are only following God if they do painful and difficult things. We are sometimes called to the difficult and the dark, but we are also called to exercise the gifts God has given us and encouraged to joy and take delight in the Lord. But Jesus is still making a crucial point here. What makes us #blessed or #cursed is not money, fame, and a good reputation. How Jesus defined the words “blessed” and “cursed” run counter to how the world uses these words. The fact is, as Christians, we are all blessed: with the love of God the Father, with the salvation brought to us through the sacrifice of Jesus, with the power of the Holy Spirit, with the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. By all means, if you get the promotion, give thanks to the Lord. But if you don’t, give thanks to the Lord as well. Ask for wisdom, discernment, and strength, not more stuff. And don’t for a minute think that because you didn’t get something you wanted, you’re not blessed. Nothing could be further from the truth. What makes us #blessed is the presence of the Lord And in that, Jesus preaches in this sermon, we should rejoice. 1 Peter 2:9-10
Have you ever played with Legos before? Lego is the company that created building block sets allowing children and adults to build models of cars, buildings, artwork, and anything else a person can imagine. Each building set comes with individual block pieces of different sizes and shapes. Putting those different pieces together forms the overall final project. As a church, we are like a Lego model with each individual being put together by God to form the community of Christ. Working together and utilizing our particular gifts within the context of this community do we fulfill God’s design for us. In 1 Peter 2:9-10, we can see four aspects of how God has called us to be as His church. First, we are a chosen people. God has not just chosen us as individuals, but collectively as his body, we have been chosen. We have not been put here by accident but rather FECC has been chosen by God for His purposes in our communities. This gives us a greater meaning for our purpose here. Second, we are a royal priesthood. As priests, we have access to God and can approach Him in his throne room. We do not have to work through a mediator as the Israelites had to do in the Old Testament, but because of Jesus, we can now directly speak to God and hear from Him. Also, we approach God together as His church. We are formed by God in our gathering together. Third, we are a holy nation. Being holy means to be set apart. In our daily lives, we set aside nicer clothes for special occasions such as weddings. In the same way, we as a holy nation have been set aside by God for His special purposes. We have a unique calling as His church to be a blessing to our community. Lastly, we are God’s special possession. Together, God has special favor for us. We belong to God and are precious to Him. Not just as individuals but everyone in FECC who has been put here by God’s design. What God has built and continues to build is something he values greatly. What a precious invitation we have to participate in this community we call FECC! To see what God is building, we must make ourselves available to be plugged into His church as individual Lego pieces are plugged into the overall project. May we move from seeing ourselves only as individuals saved by God to a grander picture of God’s work in the community of faith and our participation and contribution to it! Please imagine, before your pastor begins the sermon, that the brothers and sisters stand together with reverence and humility in their hearts. Together, they proclaim these words of admonition from the Apostle Paul to the pastor:
"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5) The pastor responds, "Amen." Afterward, the pastor boldly fulfills his prophetic duty by preaching the word of God. According to the truth of the Bible, and addressing the needs of the brothers and sisters, he confronts the currents of worldly temptation, pointing out the confusion and dangers they face. Day by day, can you imagine the impact such a Sunday pulpit will have? Brothers and sisters, what kind of message do you want to hear? How should the pastor preach? This is a spiritual matter, and only a spiritual approach can address it. Therefore, I implore you to continually pray for your pastor before God, asking the Lord to grant him diligence, growth in God's word, patience, and the strength to fulfill his ministry with depth, height, and warmth, shepherding the Lord's flock. Brothers and sisters, what kind of message do you want to hear? How should you listen to the message? This is a spiritual matter, and only a spiritual approach can address it. So, please, always pray earnestly for your own hearts, to receive sharp rebukes, timely warnings, and powerful encouragement. As long as these words are from God's true Word, do not take offense due to personal biases, do not view them as personal attacks driven by selfish desires, and do not turn to empty words. Just as good parents do not take joy in rebuking their children, pastors, too, experience sorrow when delivering stern words. This is often done out of necessity. But as the respected Dr. Timothy Lin once said, "We must speak on the foundation of people's consciences” because we all need to give an account before “Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead.” If our rebukes lack specificity, it's like running aimlessly or shadowboxing, and it's trivial. Rebuking someone out of personal resentment while avoiding direct confrontation but using public channels like social media, magazines, or the pulpit is fundamentally different, and it’s wrong. May the Lord grant us discerning hearts. We do not seek temporary comfort but pray for a clear conscience and unwavering faith to enter His righteous kingdom. We hope that the discomfort caused by stern words will lead to a repentance without regrets, resulting in salvation. Amen. Brothers and sisters, are you willing, through prayers, to respect your pastor's calling and allow him to boldly preach the hard truths? Brothers and sisters, are you willing, through prayers and humility, to prepare your hearts to let God's word prevail in your lives? Lord, pierce me with Your Word. Amen. |
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